When the team from Cedars-Sinai arrived at the small town of Joyabaj, Guatemala, on April 21, the only medical facility was a single labor-and-delivery room in an otherwise empty building. A day later, the group of 85 volunteers had created a small hospital from the equipment they brought with them, complete with an operating room, a recovery room, and a clinic to see and treat patients.

As trauma continues to be the leading cause of death among children and adults under the age of 45, the Trauma Program at Cedars-Sinai provides the infrastructure necessary to resuscitate, stabilize, support, recover and rehabilitate the most critically injured patients in our community.

Keratoconus is a disease of the eye in which the cornea progressively thins, resulting in mixed myopic astigmatism. Approximately 20 percent of patients become legally blind and require corneal transplantation, making it one of the most common causes for corneal transplantation in young adults worldwide.

Joan August, MS, service line director for the Department of Surgery, has been promoted to the position of service line vice president effective July 1. August has been a member of the leadership team at Cedars-Sinai for more than 15 years.

Cedars-Sinai's main operating room manager will take on that role in the Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion, and an education program coordinator has been promoted to take her place. Also, the OR/Anesthesia/Surgery Center Service Line has a new health system manager.

The Circle of Friends program honored 113 people in April. Circle of Friends allows grateful patients to make a donation in honor of the physicians, nurses, caregivers and others who have made a difference during their time at Cedars-Sinai. When a gift is made, the person being honored receives a custom lapel pin and a letter of acknowledgement.

In preparation for its official opening, the 11-story Advanced Health Sciences Pavilion experienced a series of simulations last week to evaluate, among other things, operational flow in the new space.